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So far Kentucky Youth Advocates has created 946 blog entries.

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks on Governor Matt Bevin Signing SB 236 into Law

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates joined Kosair Charities®, partners in the Face It® Movement to End Child Abuse, and Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children partners to celebrate Governor Bevin's ceremonial signing of SB 236, which was sponsored by Senator Julie Raque Adams. SB 236 closes the gaps in background checks of adults working with children in schools, youth camps, and in [...]

By |2017-08-15T12:58:40-04:00August 15th, 2017|News Room|
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Kids Win When Congress Prioritizes Them

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on August 4, 2017. By Dr. Terry Brooks City BBQ features the best brisket I have ever eaten! It also features an array of “front porch gems of wisdoms” that make you both smile and think. Taken from a gas station in North Carolina, one reads: “If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?” It’s no secret that for many years [...]

By |2017-08-09T17:09:20-04:00August 9th, 2017|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Youth Justice|
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Guest Post: Advocating In My Hometown

By Hannah Givens As an intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates, my summer project focused on my hometown of Greensburg in Green County. I focused on data points that KYA and the Annie E. Casey Foundation produce on children and their well-being for Kentucky and nationwide. With the upcoming 2017-2018 school year on the horizon, I presented to community leaders who work with children on a regular basis and that make decisions that affect our Green County children. [...]

By |2017-08-02T16:14:49-04:00August 2nd, 2017|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health, Kids Count|
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Guest Post: Curiosity, KIDS COUNT, and a New Perspective

By Hannah Givens For the past two months I have been interning here at Kentucky Youth Advocates and am excited to share my experience. I first became interested in KYA when I met Dr. Terry Brooks at a meeting in Frankfort, flipping through the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children fact sheet booklet while he explained KYA’s initiatives. From taking a public policy course at Wingate University (Thanks, Dr. Wobig), I understood the policy priorities and recommendations [...]

By |2017-07-26T22:29:56-04:00July 26th, 2017|Blog, Kids Count|
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Guest Post: Opening Doors to a Positive Future

By Reggie Smith As a strong advocate for young adults, I am grateful to acknowledge the recent passing of SB 195 during the 2017 Kentucky legislative session. This bill provides youth with the opportunity to expunge certain felonies off of their criminal record. In 2016, the General Assembly passed HB 40 to allow adults to expunge certain felonies; youth, however, were still not allowed to expunge a number of felonies. SB 195 closed that gap [...]

By |2017-07-05T17:05:56-04:00July 5th, 2017|Blog, Youth Justice|
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Solutions to Tackle Child Poverty

The latest national KIDS COUNT Data Book reveals that more than 1 in 4 children in Kentucky live in poverty. Some families in which these children live may be scraping by, but others may not know where their next meal is coming from or where they will sleep next week. Living in poverty permeates every aspect of a child’s life—including their health, educational attainment, and future success—and by addressing poverty we can immediately begin to [...]

By |2017-06-21T16:08:14-04:00June 21st, 2017|Blog, Economic Security, Kids Count|
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2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book Reveals Gains in Health and Continued Challenges in Economic Well-being

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org 2017 KIDS COUNT® Data Book Reveals Gains in Health and Continued Challenges in Economic Well-being Kentucky Ranks 34th in Child Well-being in the U.S. JEFFERSONTOWN, KY June 13, 2017 – Kentucky ranks 34th in the nation in overall child well-being, according to the 2017 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The 2017 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, which includes county-level data, will be [...]

By |2017-06-13T07:13:28-04:00June 13th, 2017|Kids Count, News Room|
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Guest Post: The Importance of the “Juice Conversation”

By Dr. Julia Richerson As a pediatrician, we have the honor of working with families and children as they grow and develop as both children and parents. We develop very strong relationships with the families we work with and try as hard as we can to be a valuable resource to them. We do all of this in brief 10-15 minute visits every few months for the first few years of the child’s life. To [...]

By |2017-06-02T11:34:53-04:00June 2nd, 2017|Blog, Health|
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Speaking Up for the Voiceless During Foster Care Month

A youth leader shares her journey through out-of-home care and encourages advocates to speak up for the voiceless, including those in foster care. By Tessa, a member of the First Lady’s Youth Leadership Council through the Homeward Bound Shelter in Covington, KY Youth advocacy is really important to me because I never really had a say in what happened to me when I was removed from my mom’s house. I was removed from the house [...]

By |2017-05-26T13:38:02-04:00May 26th, 2017|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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40 Years of Showing Up for Kids

Since our founding in 1977, we at Kentucky Youth Advocates have made it our vision to make Kentucky the best place in America to be a kid. Forty years ago, with a much smaller staff and budget, advocates came together to find solutions for Kentucky’s kids. What we lacked in resources we made up for in our unwavering commitment to ensure a brighter future for our youngest citizens. As we kick off our 40th birthday [...]

By |2017-05-22T11:53:29-04:00May 22nd, 2017|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Youth Justice|
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